The surprising physics of cats’ drinking
A new study reveals that even the way cats lap up liquid displays the perfect balance for which they’re known.
7 win presidential early career honors
MIT has greatest number of recipients from a single institution.
A decade of OCW benefits: Drawing talent to MIT
OpenCourseWare gives student confidence that he can work at the MIT level.
Public debt concentrated in advanced economies, MIT student’s research finds
Global financial crisis highlights gulf between advanced and emerging nations.
Can fluid dynamics offer insights into quantum mechanics?
Experiments in which fluid droplets mimic the odd behavior of subatomic particles recall an abandoned interpretation of quantum mechanics.
Galileo revisited: How ribbons roll
In a twist on a classic experiment, MIT researchers discover how flexible cylinders behave when rolling down a slope.
Unraveling the Matrix
A new way of analyzing grids of numbers known as matrices could improve signal-processing applications and data-compression schemes.
Bursting a bubble?
A generally accepted theory explaining the frequent eruptions at Italy’s Stromboli volcano is called into question by new research.
Rivest wins faculty’s Killian Award
MIT encryption pioneer recognized for ‘extraordinary’ contributions in computer science
Explained: Monte Carlo simulations
Mathematical technique lets scientists make estimates in a probabilistic world
Mysterious quantum forces unraveled
MIT researchers find a way to calculate the effects of Casimir forces, offering a way to keep micromachines’ parts from sticking together.
A mathematician takes his field to account
University of Arizona professor William Yslas Vélez speaks about minorities in math
Two seniors, one graduate student win $250,000 Hertz Fellowships
No-strings-attached awards last up to five years